WARREN TWP. — As part of its five-year capital improvements plan, Somerset County recently told the township and other municipalities around the county its list of proposed road, bridge and structure improvement projects.

Much of the work that’s being outlined will not take place until a few years down the road. But “if it happens at all,” there are a few projects that could start breaking ground as early as next year, according to Warren Township Administrator Mark Krane.

Among these are:

• Repair to the Mountain Avenue bridge over Corey’s Brook, which this paper first reported was already in the planning stages back in February of this year.

• Improvements to Mountain Boulevard from Old Stirling Road to Brookdale Road, in Watchung (the specific portion which concerns the township, in this case, are the sidewalks from Old Stirling to Helen Street).

• The milling, paving and traffic striping of Washington Valley Road from Promenade Boulevard to the Mountain Boulevard Extension, around North Road.

• Work on a bridge on Mount Horeb Road, in the Warren/Bernards border area.

The county is also proposing the beginning of engineering work in 2011, for a bridge on Dubois Road. The construction phase, however, will probably not start until 2014.

“A lot of bridges are being scheduled for 2013, and later,” said Krane. “I didn’t know we had that many in town,” he quipped at a recent Township Committee Meeting.

Furthermore, a new traffic light at the intersection of King George Road and Mount Horeb road is also in the plan. This is an intersection that had been designated as being particularly dangerous by the Township Council, and which this paper had highlighted, in June of this year.

Prepared on an annual basis, the county’s five-year plan is subject to specific comments by municipalities every couple of years. The final decision as to whether the proposed projects are ultimately initiated or not, comes from Somerset County itself — after it considers all comments. The actual construction and improvement work is also performed by the county.

“These are pretty significant projects, for the most part, that are on these lists. This plan is spread over the next six years, and not all of these projects necessarily get done. They just get programmed,” elaborated Krane.

The municipalities do have the option to recommend projects, however, as highlighted by the fact that the council is currently suggesting that part or Mount Horeb Road, from Liberty Corner to Mount Bethel Road, needs to be repaved.

Of particular note, is the fact that the aforementioned Corey’s Brook bridge work has been delayed due to New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection restrictions regarding permits. “This just doesn’t make sense to me. Here we are trying to do something good in a positive way for bridge repair and the DEP doesn’t allow you to move forward because of bureaucracy,” said Deputy Mayor Gary Dinardo.

“There’s something wrong with that picture,” added Council Member Carolann Garafola.